


Like He Was Cold

by AnnabethTheUnicorn



Series: TUiM-Verse [2]
Category: Gravity Falls, ParaNorman (2012)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, because i decided we havent hurt norman enough in this series, but not the bad-sent-by-bill-evil kind, just the usual kind, sokay dippers gonna solve all his problems with cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 02:04:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4203783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnabethTheUnicorn/pseuds/AnnabethTheUnicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the weeks following the "Borman event," as Mabel so loathingly called it, Dipper had suffered nighttime re-runs of those horrible moments when he was sure his best friend was gone for good. But when his own visions plagued him in the dark, Norman was always there, whispering everything and nothing in his ear until he could sleep again. (Sometimes it took hours.) And through all that, he had never questioned the assumption that Norman's nightmares had stopped completely. </p><p>Post-TUiM, takes place sometime during the Dipper Pines Guide to Dating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like He Was Cold

Dipper didn't know exactly what it was that woke him up, but as soon as he was aware of his surroundings he felt the minute movement above him. He blinked open his eyes. It took him a few moments to figure out what was happening. 

Firstly, Norman was lying on his chest. In itself, this wasn't anything particularly out of the ordinary- Though the two of them had tried to fall asleep in many different positions, they usually ended up like this, with Norman on his chest and Dipper's arms draped loosely around him. There was something very comforting about being able to hold Norman close after years of sleeping so close, so far away. -But there was something wrong, something out of place. 

Shaking.

Norman was shaking. Trembling, like he was cold. But the warmth of the summer night and their shared body heat made that nearly impossible. Dipper gently moved his hand to Norman's arm, but the skin was just as warm as his own.

That's when he caught it.

The lines on his forehead. 

Norman's face was lined with fear. His closed eyes were somehow just as expressive as if they had been open, terrified. 

Flashes of the last few months emerged from the back of Dipper's memory. Of Norman flinching in his sleep from a danger that was all too real. Of the lines under his eyes that seemed to get darker by the day. Of his best friend lying unmoving on the cold forest floor. 

Norman's tiny- So tiny. If he had been asleep he would have missed it -yelp pulled him from his thoughts and back into the moment. He was having a nightmare.

Dipper wrapped his arms tighter around his boyfriend. 

"Norman," he whispered. The trembling continued; there was no response. "Norman, wake up." His voice rose a bit. He knew he didn't have to worry about jarring Mabel, that girl slept like the dead, but he didn't want to startle Norman or wake him up too harshly. 

But he did want to wake him up as soon as possible. 

He raised his voice to its normal volume. "Norman." 

With a jolt, the younger boy's eyes shot open and he inhaled sharply. "No!"

"It's okay! You're okay. It was just a nightmare." 

"A n-nightmare?" He was awake, but still shaking slightly.

He tightened his grip on Norman with one hand, and lifted the other to run his fingers through his hair in what he hoped was a soothing movement. "Yeah." All at once Dipper froze. "Wait, it wasn't-"

"No."

"-Bill was it? Oh. Are you sure? I'm not taking any chances, Norm."

"No, it wasn't him." Norman shook his head slightly, the shaking beginning to wane. "I know the difference between a vision and a nightmare and this was just. You know, a dream. Nothing paranormal, I promise."

Dipper frowned. "Have you... Have you been having a lot of those, lately?"

"What?"

"Nightmares, have you been getting them a lot?"

Norman looked away. "Dipper..."

For a moment, Dipper had a surge of anger. In the weeks following the "Borman event," as Mabel so loathingly called it, Dipper had suffered nighttime re-runs of those horrible moments when he was sure his best friend was gone for good. But when his own visions plagued him in the dark, Norman was always there, whispering everything and nothing in his ear until he could sleep again. (Sometimes it took hours.) And through all that, he had never questioned the assumption that Norman's nightmares had stopped completely. 

But this wasn't some Cipher-induced terror or some premonition of the future. It was the scarring left behind from... From what Dipper did to him.

"Dipper, please stop." He looked up, Norman meeting his eyes again. "I can see you guilting yourself to death, which is exactly what I was trying to avoid."

"You have been having nightmares."

"Can we just go back to sleep?" Norman asked hopefully.

But Dipper ignored it. "Why would you keep that from me? You help me with... You know, with all that stuff. Why did you think I wouldn't do the same?" 

Norman sighed, resined to having the conversation. "It's just... You've been feeling bad enough about this whole Bill thing without me ...having issues. I just want you to forgive yourself, and waking you up to deal with me every other night isn't gonna help either of us." 

"Every-" Dipper blanched. EVERY OTHER NIGHT?!" 

"Dipper..."

He had been so stupid. So caught up in his grave mistake that he had made another. Of course Norman's scars didn't disappear once his ankle was healed and his cuts had faded. Of course the images plagued his mind, just as they did Dipper's. And though Norman was there for him, and despite Dipper's own attentive nature, he hadn't even noticed Norman needed him.

"You've been having nightmares every other night and dealing with it alone?!"

Norman looked away again. "Dipper, I-"

Dipper's grip on his boyfriend tightened, meeting his gaze with a mixture of worry and shock. "Why didn't you wake me up?" 

"You know I wouldn't wake you up before, why would you expect me to do it now?" Norman deflected.

"Things are different now, Norman! We're doing this boyfriend thing and we need to trust each other." 

Norman shifted to look the older boy in the eyes. "I do trust you, Dipper." He promised. "I trust you with my life." 

"Then why?" Dipper asked. "Why don't you trust me with this?" 

"Because you're tearing yourself apart!" Norman snapped, voice begging for... Forgiveness? For something. "You don't need any help from my stupid nightmares." 

"First of all, they're obviously not stupid." Dipper replied. "Anything that scares you so much is more than insignificant." He looked at Norman. His boyfriend was resting his head on his chest again, appearing to find the pattern on Dipper shirt just riveting. "And secondly... That's total bullshit and you know it." 

That gained Dipper a look, and Norman's eyebrows knit together. "What?" 

It was the older boy's turn to sigh. "Stop making this about me, okay? Just... Just talk to me. Trust me. Tell me what you need."

Norman stared at him, eyes blown wide, astonished. "What?" 

"What you need."

"I have no idea what you're-" 

"Norman, what do I need to do to help you sleep through the night. Just say it, I'll do it in a heartbeat!" 

His boyfriend's shock gave way to confusion, "...I don't... I don't know." And his expression was so lost that Dipper had to hold him just a bit closer. 

"I-I'd do anything for you, you know that, right?"

"I-" Norman stopped short and buried his face in Dipper's neck. "Can- Can we just go to sleep now? I don't..."

"Yeah." Dipper started stroking his hair again, knowing the gesture usually calmed Norman to sleep on nights when sleep evaded him.

Norman's breathing evened out and slowed, but Dipper was wide awake a few minutes more, wondering how he could prove to his boyfriend that he was worth everything to Dipper and always would be.

He fell asleep thinking.

 

\- - - 

 

The next night, Dipper lay awake in their shared bed, unable to sleep. 

He looked over at Norman's closed eyes and purposefully deep breaths. To anybody else, he would have looked asleep, but Dipper knew him just a bit better than that. Norman wasn't sleeping; Dipper could see it in the not-quite-relaxed look on his face. (He only knew the difference because he knew what his boyfriend looked like when he was really relaxed. With his eyes shut gently and his face slack, Norman looked younger somehow. Like all the years of linking the living world to the dead were no longer weighing on him. Dipper loved seeing him like that. Loved being allowed to see him like that.) 

Truth be told, Dipper had expected this. Given what happened last night, it wasn't all surprising that Norman couldn't sleep. It was even less surprising that he was trying to hide it.

"I know you're awake, Norm."

A beat. "I'm fine, go to sleep."

Dipper sat up, pulling Norman with him. "Nah. I think I'd rather go for a walk. Wanna come along?"

Norman rolled his eyes, but followed him down from the attic. Dipper led the way down the stairs, out the door, and through the forest. Norman was about to ask where the heck they were going when Dipper stopped and turned around to face him, smiling and gesturing rather awkwardly at the display in front of them. 

A picnic table sat adorned with twinkling fairy lights, cookies, and other nighttime snacks, clearly waiting just for them. 

Norman's eyes flitted from Dipper to the table and back again. "How did you- /When/ did you-?"

"It's... Not quite what I wanted to do," he shot Norman a smile, "but it's what I could afford on my budget. I set it all up earlier. And let me just say, it was near impossible not to tell you. Planning surprises is freaking hard, man."

"Dipper..." Norman shook his head, confused and amazed. "Why did you do all of this?"

"For- for you? Because..." He thought for a moment. "Because I wanted to let you know that even when you can't sleep at night, you don't have to be alone." Dipper took Norman's hand and looked at him earnestly. "You don't ever have to be alone again."

Norman couldn't keep the smile from his face as Dipper led him to the table, sitting down beside him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You really didn't have to do this."

At that Dipper just smirked. "But it's more fun this way, isn't it?"

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the lovely Ana for existing. <3


End file.
